Gambling, or “gaming”, is known. Given the contentious nature of gaming, different nations and even states/provinces/regions, all hereinafter referred to as jurisdictions, have individually enacted legislation to define what gaming can occur within that jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, betting on the outcomes of sports matches, among other things, is allowed, whereas in other jurisdictions, it is prohibited. Perhaps more critical is the case wherein various types of gaming are expressly forbidden in certain jurisdictions and can bear severe penalties.
In many cases, jurisdictions control and operate state-run gaming. For example, the government of the province of Ontario in Canada has created the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission to oversee the operation of lotteries and other forms of gaming. The sale of lottery tickets, as well as other gaming tickets, is generally restricted to the jurisdiction, and the sale of lottery and other gaming tickets from other jurisdictions can be prohibited. As lottery tickets are, or have been, printed documents, they have traditionally been sold from specific physical locations such as convenience stores and lottery kiosks. Such an arrangement facilitates the compliance with jurisdictional rules as the convenience stores and lottery kiosks only sell lottery and other gaming tickets for the particular jurisdiction(s) in which they are physically located.
Recently, proposals have been made for the implementation of mobile lottery and gaming systems that allow a person to participate in lotteries and other gaming via a mobile device. A person who is gaming in one form or another shall be hereinafter referred to as a “player”. The convergence of mobile devices towards certain platforms has facilitated the development of a few versions of software for mobile devices that can be deployed across a large portion of existing mobile devices.
For example, United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0215306 entitled “LOTTERY METHOD AND APPARATUS” to O'Donnell et al. discloses a method and apparatus for purchasing a lottery ticket using a mobile device. The mobile device is in communication with a server-based master game matrix that stores information on relevant lottery games and is controlled by a particular lottery authority.
In keeping with jurisdictional lottery rules, the location of the mobile device would need to be validated to ensure that the player is physically located in the correct jurisdiction in order to participate in gaming for that jurisdiction.
United States Patent Application 2007/0321785 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVENIENCE GAMBLING” to Amaitis et al. discloses such a location verification feature, for mobile gambling, that permits or disallows gaming from a remote location depending upon whether or not the location meets one or more criteria, including whether the location is within a pre-defined area in which gaming is permitted by law. The location verification includes a feature where the location determination is carried out periodically, such that if a user leaves a prescribed area while engaged in a gambling activity for a defined period of time, the gambling activity will be stopped.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0042633 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING ON-LINE GOVERNMENTAL LOTTERY GAMES” to Yacenda discloses a method for facilitating governmental lottery play and includes determining whether a mobile player terminal is located within a lottery jurisdiction based on transmitted location information. Once the location is verified, and accepted, the purchase of the lottery ticket is completed. If the location information indicates that the mobile player terminal is outside of the lottery jurisdiction, the purchase of the lottery ticket is prevented. The location information may be acquired using global positioning system (“GPS”) or cellular telephone localization.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,474 entitled “LOCATION BASED MOBILE WAGERING SYSTEM” to Carter, Sr., discloses a system for providing access to casino gaming and sports booking which enables a player to place wagers based on the jurisdiction of play via a mobile gaming unit. According to one described embodiment, the mobile gaming unit is tracked by a position location system, and may be activated, or deactivated according to the local gambling restrictions. Among other features, the document identifies a server-based “jurisdiction profile” which may include information relative to gaming restrictions, tax rates, and tax exchange agreements for a jurisdiction from which a gambler places a bet.
Such systems, however, are susceptible to tampering and location-spoofing. GPS is not a secure system, in that signals are not verified via conventional GPS units. As a result, GPS signals can be spoofed, thereby enabling a player to have the GPS module of his mobile device believe that it is, in fact, in a different location. In this manner, a player would be able to participate in gaming that is prohibited in his location.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel method and system for enabling gaming via a mobile device.